Nokia sets specifications

Nokia sets specifications
to enable TV on cell phones

Nokia Corp. will release technical details about its mobile TV
system to help service providers offer customers the possibility
of watching television on their handsets, with commercial TV
services expected to begin in 2006.

The air interface specifications, for mobile TV based on
Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld, or DVB-H, will provide
information on how mobile TV terminals interconnect with the
network end of the service, the Finnish company said Tuesday.

The technology has been piloted in several countries,
including Finland where Nokia last month joined major TV
companies and mobile service providers to enable 500 test users
in the Helsinki region to watch international television
broadcasts and tune in to radio programs on their phones.

"Operators and service providers want to know how the
interoperability of terminals from different vendors can be
ensured," said Richard Sharp, a Nokia spokesman. "By making this
interface specification public, we are emphasizing our commitment
to open standards and interoperability as a means to enable
positive market development."

The Nokia mobile TV service, which includes terminals, servers
and network components, is based on open standards approved by
the European Telecommunications Standards Institute, the company
said.

DVB-H is a new technology that enables broadcast transmission
of several television, radio and video channels to mobile
devices.

In earlier research, Nokia said people like to watch mobile TV
in cars and public places, such as cafes. Watching TV on handsets
was also common at home and in workplaces, with test users mostly
interested in news, weather, sports, current affairs and
entertainment. -- AP